ATLANTA - Art aficionados in Atlanta are enjoying a striking array of works by famous artists at the Breman Jewish Heritage Museum since the exhibition Atlanta Collects: Treasures From Atlanta’s Private Collectors opened on December 5.

Degas, Kandinsky, Manet, Delacroix, Picasso, Wyeth, and other masters are featured in this exclusive art show borrowed from the private collections of Atlanta residents, and many of these pieces have never been seen in public before.

The Breman is presenting Atlanta Collects in celebration of its 20th anniversary with the goal of highlighting the diversity of Atlanta’s Jewish-owned collections. The first part of the show runs through Feb. 26, 2017 and features art from the 1800s until the end of the 20th century. The second phase, showcasing works created after 2000, will take place from March 12 until June 11, 2017.

The sheer variety of Atlanta Collects has come as a surprise to many. “That’s the advantage of a show like this – visitors can gravitate toward the works that speak to them personally. There is something for everyone,” said Aaron Berger, the museum’s Executive Director. This is not a show of Jewish art, he added, but is instead an exceptional fine art exhibition featuring a variety of styles, artists, genres, and subject matters from different periods. He also called it “an opportunity to delve into the mind of art collectors from around Atlanta.”

Atlanta Collects Curator William Eiland, Director of the Georgia Museum of Art, said there is a belief that there are few art collectors in Atlanta. “This exhibition combats that notion by just showcasing a small selection of truly fine works from Jewish homes.”

“This is a walk through 200 years in one room,” said a visitor recently while surveying the works in the Blonder Gallery. Another commented, “People actually own these works? I never thought about seeing works of this quality outside of a museum. What a treat it must be to live with them every day.”

The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum is one of the leading places to visit in Atlanta, GA. Their Jewish culture, arts, and history museum is home to the permanent exhibition Absence of Humanity: The Holocaust Years, 1933-1945; and the Blonder Gallery and the Schwartz Gallery, each hosting a variety of traveling and rotating exhibitions. The Museum Library and Cuba Family Archives add to the Atlanta-based attractions while The Weinberg Center for Holocaust Education provides meaningful educational resources for students, teachers, and lifelong learners.